22 questions from nonprofits, schools, and foundations, answered.
More than 600 of you registered for our anniversary webinar, Make Your Milestone Matter, and you came with questions. Lots of them. Some before the session, a flood in the chat, and a few that showed up in our inbox after we’d logged off.
We got to many of them live. The rest deserved answers too, so we sorted them all into a few buckets: the big questions almost everyone asks, the ones about telling your story, the ones about celebrating in a way that fits who you are, and the ones about making the whole thing last.
Missed the session? Watch the recording first.
Three things to remember before you plan
1) Nobody cares about your anniversary by default. They care when you show them why it matters, for them, for your community, and for where you’re headed together.
2) The number is the least interesting part. Ten, fifty, a hundred: what people remember is the story behind it, why you started, what’s changed because of you, and what you’re asking them to help build next.
3) Story first, everything else second. The logo, the gala, and the video all have their place. They just work a lot harder when they’re built on a clear narrative.
Anniversary budget, timing, and goals
The questions nearly everyone asked, in one form or another.
1) How do we celebrate a milestone with a limited budget?
Start with what you already have. Update your website, put the story in your e-newsletter, and bring the anniversary into events you’re already running. Local college and grad students can be a great source of talent, too, and they get real experience in return. Your anniversary doesn’t come with a minimum spend. Fit it to the budget you have, and spread it across the year if that helps.
Try this: List every channel you already own: your website, newsletter, social accounts, annual event, even board meetings. Add one anniversary touch to each before you spend a dollar on anything new.
2) How much should we budget for an anniversary campaign?
It depends on your size and your goals. As a general guide, outside strategy and creative support often runs $40,000 to $100,000 for organizations with budgets under $2 million, $120,000 to $300,000 for mid-size organizations, and more for large ones. These are ranges, not rules. If your annual budget is $250,000, you shouldn’t spend $40,000 on your anniversary, and you don’t need to.
Try this: Before you pick a number, rank your must-haves: strategy and messaging first, then your campaign name and narrative, then visual identity. If you only get through those three, you’re still in a great place.
3) Our anniversary is in 2027. Are we already behind?
Yes.
JK, it’s all relative. If you want to launch something by January 1, 2027, you’ve got your work cut out for you. But most people don’t know what you’re calling your anniversary year. It could run from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Don’t get hung up on the details. Focus on the opportunity your anniversary gives you.
Try this: Pick your official 12-month anniversary window, put the start date on the calendar, and work backward from it. Give strategy and story the first slice of time, then build materials from there.
4) Which anniversaries count as milestones? Are some more important than others?
The obvious ones are easy: 25, 50, 100. But if 33 means something to your organization, go ahead and make a big deal out of your 33rd. A milestone is whatever number gives you a reason to tell your story. Just tell it from that angle.
Try this: Finish this sentence: “This number matters to our community because ______.”
If the answer comes easily, you’ve got a milestone worth celebrating.
5) Should we fold the anniversary into an existing event or create a new one?
There’s a case for both. Folding it into an existing event is easier, since you already know how to run that event. But if this moment feels big enough, it may deserve a stage of its own.
Try this: Ask two questions. Will an existing event reach the people this anniversary is for? Can your team take on a new event without dropping something else? A yes to the first and a no to the second means fold it in.
6) There are so many reasons to celebrate. Should we focus on just one?
Focus helps a lot. Pick one main goal, two or three at most. Organizations that chase six priorities usually do none of them well, and they create a lot of extra work and stress along the way.
Try this: At your next planning meeting, have everyone write down what they want the anniversary to achieve. Group the ideas, then ask each person to vote for the single most important one. Keep the top one to three and park the rest.
7) Who should be involved in planning our anniversary?
More people than you might think, and earlier than you might think. An anniversary touches fundraising, programs, events, and how your whole organization shows up, so bring in staff, board, and key volunteers while the strategy is still taking shape. The people you leave out of early planning are often the ones you’ll need most later.
Try this: Before your first planning meeting, list everyone whose support you’ll need during the anniversary year. Anyone on that list who isn’t in the room yet should hear from you this month. For the board in particular, our guide [How to Get Your Board on Board with Campaign Communications] walks you through it.
8) How do we make the case for an anniversary fundraising campaign?
Every strong case has three parts: rationale (why this makes sense, and why your organization can be trusted to pull it off), emotion (how your donor feels when they give), and urgency (why now). Work all three out internally first, then turn them into the campaign name, materials, and messages your donors actually see.
Try this: Finish this sentence 10 times: “If we don’t capitalize on this moment, ______ will happen.” Then flip it: “If we do capitalize on this moment, ______ will happen.” The useful answers show up after the obvious ones run out.
Telling your anniversary story
How to handle the past, the people who built it, and the gaps in the record.
9) How do we handle parts of our history we’re not proud of?
Name the thing. When we worked with the Rhodes Trust on its 120th anniversary, that meant being upfront about where Cecil Rhodes’ fortune came from, and about how the Trust is putting it to work for good today. If something in your history rises to that level, address it publicly. If it doesn’t, still talk it through internally, so your team has wrestled with it before anyone asks.
Try this: Before your anniversary launches, gather a small group to write two or three plain sentences about the hard part of your history and what you’re doing differently now. Have them ready before anyone asks.
10) How do we honor founders and longtime donors without making the whole year about the past?
Give them a moment of their own, like a single event where you thank the people who got you here. Then keep the rest of your anniversary communications pointed forward. Gratitude for the past and excitement about the future can live side by side. They just need different stages.
Try this: Plan one evening, or one feature story, dedicated to your founders and longtime supporters. Then read through every other anniversary message. If more than a line or two looks backward, rewrite it toward what’s next.
11) We barely have any photos or records from our early years. Now what?
Collect your stories and share them. Visuals from the era don’t have to come from your own events. You could show the clothing styles or record covers of the time, or hire an illustrator to bring those early days to life. Be creative. There are a lot of ways to solve this one.
Try this: Ask longtime staff, board members, alumni, and early supporters for one story and any photos they have. A short online form or a ten-minute call works. Old photos tend to live in people’s closets.
12) Someone told us nobody cares about our birthday. Only what we’re doing now and next. True?
True, and that’s the good news. Your anniversary is the hook. What you’re doing now and where you’re headed is the story. Use the milestone to get people’s attention, then spend that attention on your future.
Try this: Write your main anniversary message, then cover up the number. If it still makes someone want to get involved, you’ve got a story.
Celebrating your way
Every organization is different. These questions came from folks whose situations don’t fit the standard playbook, and that’s exactly why they’re worth answering.
13) We’re a smaller organization. Any advice for us, and for organizations of color?
Two great questions in one, so let’s take them in turn.
First, smaller organizations:
There’s no one right way to do this. For some communities, the right celebration is a community-powered potluck. For others, it’s a black-tie event. Start with who you are, what makes your community special, and what you want to be known for once the year is over. One attendee put it well: for small organizations, partnerships can be key. Celebrating alongside the people and groups you work with stretches your reach and shares the spotlight. (Zach: anything to add for organizations of color specifically?)
Second, for organizations of color, how do you celebrate in a way that feels true to your community?
Start with who owns the story. The people you serve are the authors of your history, so let them tell it in their own words, so let them tell it in their own words, even when those words aren’t what funders expect. Trust that their version is the one worth hearing. You can be honest about what your community has faced and still lead with its strength. Native Americans for Community Action in Flagstaff began in 1971, when Native people facing discrimination from other agencies decided, in a former director’s words, to “start our own organization run by Native people to provide services to Native people.” That’s an origin story worth putting front and center.
Look at how others have done it. When Byrd Barr Place in Seattle turned 60, it launched what’s now an annual block party outside its firehouse home, alongside its gala. Taller Puertorriqueño in Philadelphia celebrated its 50th at its annual street festival, Feria del Barrio, with music, dancing, food, and local artists filling the block. The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute in East Harlem is marking 50 years of “Justice, Joy and Resistance” with community concerts, a tribute to its founder, and a simple ask: $50 for 50 years. And the Asian Law Caucus marked 50 years with community panels and a theme borrowed from Yuri Kochiyama: “Tomorrow’s World Is Ours to Build.” Your culture is the celebration, and your community members are the honorees.
And none of this takes a big budget. Like Taller, you can weave your anniversary into the life you already share with your community: a story to open every program, a photo wall by the front door where people add their own memories, a toast at the gathering everyone already shows up for.
Try this: Ask three community members, “What should people know about our story?” and build from their answers. Then list three partners whose communities overlap with yours, and invite each one to co-host or co-promote one moment of your anniversary year.
14) We have members, not donors. Do the same best practices still apply?
Of course! Get clear about your goals, shape a story that connects your past with the future you’re building, create clear and effective communications, and then invite your community to join you. Swap “give” for “renew,” “show up,” or “get involved,” and the playbook holds.
Try this: Decide the one thing you most want members to do this year, like renew, bring a friend, or show up to a gathering. Then point every anniversary message toward it.
15) We’re spread across several locations. How do we celebrate together?
A single central event gets hard when people would have to cross continents to attend. Think about video, an online celebration, or even a “party in a box” people can host wherever they are. And remember, your anniversary doesn’t have to be one moment. Think of it as a season of telling your story.
Try this: Pick one shared moment, same day and same hour, and let each location celebrate its own way. Send everyone a simple kit: talking points, a short video, and a few visuals.
16) Is the anniversary also where we celebrate our partners and donors?
Absolutely. When the Season of Sharing Fund turned 40, its celebration focused on honoring the partner organizations that bring its work to life. If you work through partners, tell your story starting with the people whose lives have changed, then the partners who made it possible, then your role in it. Generosity in how you share credit tends to come back around.
Try this: Invite three partners to each share one story about someone whose life changed. Feature those stories first, and save your organization’s part for the end.
17) Can we do a smaller “test” anniversary before the big one? Why or why not?
A smaller milestone can be a low-pressure way to try out your story, see what resonates, and build momentum for the big year. Just make sure both moments point toward the same narrative, so the second one builds on the first.
Try this: Use the smaller anniversary to test one or two message ideas with your community. Note which ones get people talking, and carry those into the big year.
18) Are branded giveaways like water bottles and notepads worth it?
They can be, if people will use them and they carry your story. A water bottle with your anniversary message gets seen at a lot of desks and gyms. A notepad that ends up in a junk drawer, less so. If budget is tight, put the money into your story first.
Try this: Ask one question about any giveaway: would someone keep this on their desk for a year? If not, skip it and put that money toward your story.
Making your anniversary last
Because the best anniversaries keep paying off long after the cake is gone.
19) What should we do publicly the year before our 100th?
Start talking about it. You don’t have to wait for the big year to arrive. Tease it in your messaging, mention that you’re coming up on 100 years, and keep celebrating for a good while after. A milestone can carry you for a couple of years before and several years after. Get every bit of value out of it.
Try this: A year out, add a “counting down to 100” line to your email signatures, newsletter, and website, and start collecting stories now so you have plenty to share when the year arrives.
20) What can we do to keep the anniversary going after the big celebration?
Build things that outlast the party. If you’re making a video for your 50th, ask your video team for a second cut that doesn’t mention the anniversary, so you can keep using it for years. Same with design: if you’re investing in anniversary visuals, look for pieces that can move your whole visual identity forward.
Try this: For every anniversary piece you create, ask your designer or video team for an evergreen version without the number. It costs little extra and keeps working for years.
21) How do we turn our anniversary event into ongoing alumni engagement?
Follow up. Then follow up again. Zach recently attended a 30th anniversary celebration for an organization he helped found in college. It was a lovely, meaningful event, and he hasn’t heard from them since. The event is the spark. Regular, personal outreach in the weeks and months afterward is what keeps the relationship going.
Try this: Before the event, schedule three follow-ups: a thank-you within a week, a story or update within a month, and a personal invitation to get involved within three months.
22) If we launch a new strategic plan for our anniversary, should we share it publicly?
Share a version of it. Your full plan can stay an internal working document, while a short, designed summary tells your community where you’re headed and invites them along. When the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights turned 25, they shared their strategic plan, Powering People, Powering Change, as part of the celebration.
Try this: Turn your plan into a one-page summary that answers three questions: where are we headed, why now, and how can you help?
Still have questions?
Good. That usually means you’re taking your anniversary seriously.
- Talk it through with us. We hold open-door chats every month for exactly this kind of brainstorm.
- Send us your question. If it’s not here, email Zach at zach@mission-minded.com.
And if your milestone year has you running on fumes, Jennie Winton is leading a free hour just for you this month: An Hour to Recharge: Start the New Year with Fresh Inspiration. Save your spot!
